The Early Years (EY) workforce is such an important part of the overall picture of the music education sector, yet it is a workforce that is often overlooked, and many who work in this area feel that their issues and views are underrepresented when discussions take place and decisions are made.
At the Musicians’ Union (MU), we represent musicians of all varieties who work across the whole of the music industry. This includes all areas of music education, from EY to those working in primary and secondary schools, further and higher education, as well as in the formal and non-formal sectors. We are therefore well placed to address some of the concerns of the EY practitioners to make sure they have a platform to be heard and have someone to lobby on their behalf.
One of the first things that we feel needs to be addressed is for EY provision to be recognised as an integral part of the musical journey of a young person. In fact, it could be seen to be the most crucial part of that journey, as the initial experiences of music-making for young children can influence their relationship with music for the whole of their lives. It is therefore amazing that this is such an unregulated part of music education with a lack of consistency of delivery across the country.
In England, the National Plan for Music Education does not include any reference to EY as it originally only dealt with school age children from age 5 to 18. As the music education hubs that were formed under the National Plan were not given the remit, or funding, to provide facilities for EY, many did not include this in their provision. This has led to a rise of individual providers, franchises and agencies with a wide variety of approaches and, unfortunately, inconsistent levels of quality and competencies. In our 2018 research project, led by Jonathan Savage of Manchester Metropolitan University, we explored the provision of music education across the whole of the sector and issues around access to EY were often raised. The patchiness and lack of equality of access and opportunity was evident, and this will be one of the important areas of recommendation that we make in what should be included in any future National Plan.
Hubs are in a unique place to coordinate EY provision in their local areas but we recognise that it needs to be funded properly and, of course, the practitioners who deliver this work need to be supported with access to appropriate CPD. They also need to be remunerated appropriately and fairly in recognition to the skills and experience they bring to the sector.
So why does the Musicians’ Union feel it can appropriately represent this area of the workforce?
Also unique is our position of having an overview of the sector while appreciating what value each individual practitioner can contribute to the overall experience of a child's understanding of music education. We also recognise that while those working in EY have particular issues that need to be addressed, many of the challenges they face are felt by those working across the whole sector.
The MU provides a package of support, representation and benefits that is important to all those who work in music education and, by being an organisation that represents over 30,000 musicians, it can lobby on issues and influence policy and decision makers on behalf of members who are often too busy actually delivering the work to be involved in the politics behind it.
The music education team at the MU has a wealth of experience of the sector and therefore can understand the often very challenging circumstances in which individuals work, and can relate to the issues that practitioners may face. It is heartening to know as an individual working often by yourself that there is an organisation that has your back!
MU membership includes the very important insurances that anyone working in education needs. These are £10m of public liability cover; £2,000 of instrument insurance cover; professional indemnity insurance cover; as well as personal accident and professional expenses cover (for dealing with tax authorities). This package of insurances ensures that every aspect of your working life is covered, allowing you to be confident that if an issue does occur, you have the appropriate cover in place.
The legal work we do on behalf of members is of course a very important area and this includes specific advice and representation on individual cases as well as contract advice and negotiation, an unpaid fee recovery service, and a free legal advice helpline for non-work-related matters. In addition to an in-house solicitor we have access to employment lawyers, contract lawyers, copyright lawyers and other specialised areas of law which are all included in membership. Often casework undertaken on behalf of members will run into many thousands of pounds of legal fees, which would be prohibitive for any individual to undertake themselves without the support of a trade union.
Our team of officials around the country can offer career and business advice to members and also deal with issues from everything to do with health and wellbeing to intellectual property; from helping to set up a co-operative to dealing with GDPR and IR35.
For those working specifically in education there are MU bespoke contracts, plus recommended rates of pay and downloadable resources for all areas of your work from health and safety to safeguarding. We also have a biennial CPD event for those working in education (with specific sessions for those working in EY) and an education section committee which recommends policy and strategy to the executive committee of the union.
Being a member of the MU allows you to be part of a bigger voice that is able to lobby the government on your behalf on all issues to do with music. Our research in 2018 showed that over 40% of families said that music lessons were now beyond the reach of their household budget, resulting in an underrepresentation for young people in the UK's music industry, and we called on the government to recognise this as being a real issue that needed addressing.
We don't have corporate members and only represent individuals, ensuring there is no conflict of interest, and all the work we do from legal cases to lobbying and from campaigns to negotiations is done on behalf of our members.
We acknowledge at the MU how important the workforce is in delivering across the whole music education sector, and we particularly appreciate those who work in areas that sometimes have not had the deserved recognition of the contribution they have made, such as those who work in EY provision. We are committed to making sure that this is addressed and we are listening to those who work in this specific area of the sector to ensure that they have the support and representation they deserve.
For those who have not been members of the MU before, join for £1 and have six months free access to all membership benefits, or sign up as a supporter for free.See the website for details: themu.org
